Ferry services suspended in south China as typhoon approaches

HAIKOU -- The southern Chinese province of Hainan has ordered the suspension of all ferry services in the Qiongzhou Strait starting at 6 am Saturday, as the 22nd typhoon of the year approaches.

Ferry operations in the strait are expected to resume on Sunday afternoon, according to local maritime authorities.

Due to gales and torrential downpours brought by Typhoon Vamco, some of the train services to and from the tropical island were also halted.

The tourist city of Sanya in Hainan ordered all tourist sites to suspend operations from Friday night.

China's national observatory on Saturday renewed a blue alert for Vamco, which is expected to bring downpours and strong winds to parts of southern China's coastal areas.

The center of Vamco was about 135 km southwest of Sansha city, Hainan province, at 5 am Saturday, with winds of up to 50 meters per second near the eye, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The typhoon is forecast to move northwestward at a speed of around 15 km per hour to 20 km per hour, before landing at the central and northern coast of Vietnam.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.